Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-11-10
How to Make Guests Uncomforta.


May | name a few of the plans re-
sorted to by well meaning, but mis-
taken people, to make their homes de-
cidedly una ttractive to any one, that
the time required for social pleasures
takes almost nothing from their life
timo? One of these ways is the habit
of constantly calling attention to (by
excusing) all the shortcomings and
drawbacks to the hospitality being dis.
pensed. The hostess who habitually
does this. is a troublesome person to
visit, Iether she 'fears that the
smallncss of her rooms must cramp
you,n or deplores ''the shabbiness OF
the furniture" or worries "lest the
noise of her children will make you
long to be at home again" or excuses
the manner in which the meals are
served. 1t may be that most of these
things would pass unnoticed, or trou-
BILE you very little, if only the mistress
of the house would not plaintively pro-
claim them, taxing the powers of the
polite guest 10 the very utmost to pro-
test that they were not noticeable, or
to coin some little fiction as to the dis
order being excusable, and growing
tired and worried over the effort to
cover up the poor management of the
hostess, and her impoliteness also, for
it is impolite to tax guest in this
double way; she has her own share as
well as that of the hostess to bear, and
it is little wonder if, in future, she
keeps away from such tax. Per-
haps we enter a house where draperies
of cobwebs seem to be the order of the
day. What do we care if such is the
state of the wallsP Very few of us
care at all, if only our homes are neat,
| If such is the taste of the jewellers
there, YOU are willing it shall be graft
| fed. But to be told to ''only look at
them" and to be asked ''if this is not
a disgraceful condition of things?" or
| told, Il am sure you will tell how care
| lessly we live, now won't youg' is
rather embarrassing. So, intending
to make yourself agreeable. you OBJ
serve that ''cobwebs are rather pretty
and quite graceful, and you rather
like them, and such like inanities as
| this, They do collect so fast this
weather, knowing these must be the
collection of months, and then you
collapse, for the effort is severe, and
the hostess keeps on saying:
Perfectly dreadful You are not
used to such things, and | shan't sleep
tonight for thinking of the condition
in which you found my rooms
If you are fond of careless house
keeping, it is entirely your own affair,
but to impress it on your guests is an
experiment you will not find a sue
cess, for they will not stand it often.
The eXcusing hostess is particularly
annoying at meals, aud often obliges
her guests to eat unsavory, or i'll cooked
dishes, in the effort to save the feelings
of one who deserves little Cor no) con-
| sideration. Unless you eat eXtrav-
agantly, she is sure the meal is BADLY
prepared, mot to your taste, cover
done, and she lust knows you will
starye."
Don't make people at your table eat
more than they wish to; particularly
don't urge on them anything that is
one atom questionable, by debating its
merit, and so sending challenge to a
polite person to accept more of it Gas
proof of its superior quality) than is
agreeable or profitable. Even if an
entire meal should prove failure, it
is better to order it quietly away than
to load the stomach fyour victim with
UNBEATABLE food.
There is another very common form
of victimizing your talking of
things or people they don't know, never
have known, and under no circum-
stances will ever be likely to come in
contact with. 1t leaves the visitor so
entirely outside of any chance to in
terest himself in the conversation;
leaves him SO entirely alone, that if he
is not intimate enough TO take book
or nap, so as to wait for a change in
the topic of talk which he can under.
stand and join in. his position is often
embarrassing, always tiresome. aud
not one to accept willingly many times.
-Margaret Arthur, in Good Housekeep-
| ina.